Rats return to Dubai villas and towers when the conditions that brought them are still there: food, ways in, and places to hide, including drains. Baiting alone removes the rats you have today, not the entry points for the next ones. The National (5 January 2019) reported rats in Silicon Oasis, The Greens and Garhoud, and in the Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park industrial areas, including a Silicon Oasis tenant whose husband trapped 27 rats in six months. Proofing the building and removing what attracts them belong alongside treatment, because they cut off what keeps bringing rats back.
What The National reported (5 January 2019)
The National's report described:
- Areas. Rats reported in Silicon Oasis, The Greens and Garhoud, and in the Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park industrial areas.
- Towers. Rats on the upper floors of towers, not only at ground level.
- Trapping is not enough. A Silicon Oasis tenant whose husband trapped 27 rats in six months still paid a pest control company to visit.
- Feeding. Neighbours feeding rats, according to the report.
- Poison. Municipality poison that did not stop the problem.
- Leaving. One tenant who left mid-lease.
- Who pays. A tenant in The Greens said the landlord refused to pay for pest control. This is not legal advice; check your tenancy contract.
That was 2019, and the report is the source for these accounts. It is not a measure of how many homes are affected today. Residents of Sharjah, Dubai and Ajman buildings can ask their own management whether rodent control covers shared areas such as bin rooms and risers.
Why rodents come back
- Food. Open bins, pet food, bird feed, uncovered waste, and a neighbour feeding them all keep a population in the area.
- Entry points. Gaps under doors, around pipes and cables, vents without screens, and damaged door sweeps give a route in.
- Drains. Damaged or open drains can give rodents a way in and a place to live. A drain check is part of an inspection.
- Shared structures. In a tower, the service shaft or bin room can hold the population, so treating one flat while the shaft stays untouched changes little.
- Treatment without proofing. Bait reduces numbers, but a route left open lets new rodents arrive.
MUMTAZ's approach is that the treatment is chosen for what the inspection found, with the structural and hygiene corrections that stop the problem returning named in the written report. That is why the report matters as much as the visit.
What proofing means
- Seal gaps around pipes, cables and doors.
- Fit door sweeps and screens on vents.
- Keep bins closed and waste away from the building.
- Store food and pet food in sealed containers.
- Cut back planting and clear stored material from walls in a villa garden.
- Ask building management to check the bin room, risers and shared areas.
Questions to ask a rodent company
- Which entry points did you find, and are they named in the written report?
- Will you check the drains and the bin room, not only the inside of the home?
- When is the follow-up visit, and is it in the price?
- Is the price in writing, and does it say whether VAT is included?
For other home pests, see residential pest control.
Villa or tower?
Villa. The garden, drains and boundary wall matter as much as the house. Look for droppings, gnawed material and burrows near the wall.
Tower or apartment. Tell building management as well as your pest company. Common areas may be controlled by the management company, and one flat cannot fix a building problem.
If you or someone at home has been bitten, or you are worried about contact with droppings, see a doctor.
What MUMTAZ does
Every job starts with an inspection. The treatment is chosen for what the inspection found, a follow-up visit is scheduled and you receive a written service report. See our rodent control page.
Rodent work is quoted after an inspection, and we do not publish a figure for it. The published residential pest control package prices (studio AED 215 to 4BHK AED 495, VAT included) are for general home pests. For a small home, the Residential AMC at AED 999 incl. VAT for one year covers units up to 2BHK and includes a quarterly general treatment for cockroach, ant and rodent, four visits. Larger homes and villas are inspected and quoted.